A new fiber-optic radiation dosimeter,
developed at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and tested at
the National Cancer Institute (NCI), of the National Institute
of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, may provide oncologists
with unprecedented capability for monitoring and controlling
radiation doses delivered to patients undergoing radiation
therapy.

The research team includes: Drs.
Alan L. Huston and Brian L Justus, of NRL's Optical Physics
Branch, Optical Sciences Division, and Dr. Rosemary Altemus
and Mr. Robert Miller, of the NCI, NIH.

According to Dr. Huston, "A
radiation dosimeter is a device that measures the radiation dose
that has been absorbed by nearby tissue. The small flexible fiber-optic
sensors can be used with standard medical catheters and placed
inside the body directly at the site of a tumor. The sensor then
can provide physicians with such information as the instantaneous
dose rate and the total absorbed dose at the tumor during the
therapy. The new dosimeter thus will improve the effectiveness
of clinical radiotherapy procedures by enabling greater accuracy
in the delivery of the desired radiation dose. The fiber-optic
system can be modified to allow monitoring of several dosimeters
simultaneously so that damage to healthy tissue surrounding a
tumor can be minimized."

This dosimeter allows for on-line
corrections essential to the operation of new-generation radiotherapy
machines using beam-intensity modulation as an adjunct to
three-dimensional
conformal therapy and thus offers a clear advantage in patient
treatment," concludes Dr. Altemus.

The research team reports that,
in addition to medical applications, the fiber-optic radiation
dosimeter is ideally suited for environmental monitoring. The
new sensor can provide a convenient method for remote monitoring
of radiation levels in difficult-to-access or hazardous areas,
such as monitoring ground water supplies around nuclear waste
facilities or high radiation areas in nuclear power plants or
waste storage areas.

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is the Navy's full-spectrum corporate laboratory, conducting a broadly based multidisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technological development. The Laboratory, with a total complement of approximately 2,500 personnel, is located in southwest Washington, D.C., with other major sites at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Monterey, Calif. NRL has served the Navy and the nation for over 90 years and continues to meet the complex technological challenges of today's world. For more information, visit the NRL homepage or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

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